In two lawsuits filed Friday, the EEOC sued two unrelated businesses for refusing to accommodate the religious observance of employees who refused to work on Sundays because it is their Sabbath. In a suit filed in federal court in Washington state, the EEOC charged that Walmart ended the accommodation it had provided the manager of its Colville (WA) store for the last 14 years. (EEOC press release.) Employee Richard Nichols is a devout Mormon and, according to the Bellingham (WA) Herald, is also the mayor of Colville.
Meanwhile, in a suit filed in a California federal district court, the EEOC charged that a new manager at a Supercuts store refused to continue the practice that for 9 years had accommodated hair stylist Carolyn Sedar's observance of Sunday as her sabbath. (EEOC press release.)
